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Diego's POV
My half-brother, Daniel, stood silently behind my father, his gaze blank. I could feel the tension between the three of us, like a thin thread that could snap at any moment.

“I am not your illegitimate child,” I continued. “I am a part of this family, and I will fight for my place!”

My father glared at me with simmering anger, but in his eyes, I saw a flicker of doubt. “You’re still young and naive, Diego. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know more than you think,” I replied firmly. “And one day, you will realize that I deserve to be Alpha.”

At that moment, everything felt possible. I wouldn’t back down. This fight had only just begun.

Suddenly, the atmosphere fell silent. I held my cheek, still stinging from the slap, while my heart was filled with a mix of pain and anger. Seeing Daniel standing in front of my father, I felt a bit relieved but also confused.

“Enough!” Daniel shouted again, his voice firm yet tense. “We can’t resolve this with violence.”

My father was taken aback, his gaze shifting between me and Daniel. “You don’t understand, Daniel. He doesn’t know his limits!” His voice trembled, caught between anger and frustration.

“But this way won’t take us anywhere!” Daniel replied, looking seriously at my father. “We need to talk, not act like this.”

I could feel the tension in the air, and although I wanted to shout, I knew this fight had to be conducted with words, not violence. “Daniel is right,” I said, trying to hold back my emotions. “We need to discuss this. Everyone deserves to be heard.”

My father sighed, looking confused. “Just because you’re the child of the mistress…”

“No!” I interrupted. “I am your son! And I deserve to be acknowledged!”

Daniel looked at me, then back at our father. “We can’t go on like this. If we want this pack to survive, we need to unite, not divide.”

Dad stared at Daniel with red, furious eyes, but he didn’t retaliate. His breathing was heavy, as if he were holding back anger that was about to explode. Daniel looked at me, then placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here!”

I took a deep breath, glancing at Dad one last time before turning away and stepping out of the room with Daniel. But in my mind, the anger and hurt continued to resonate.

Our footsteps echoed in the long corridor, silent except for the sound of our shoes hitting the cold stone floor. Daniel kept pulling my arm, trying to lead me further away from Dad’s office. But I was fed up. I jerked my arm away from his grip.

“What’s wrong with you?!” I snapped, glaring at him. “Why are you stopping me? Isn’t this what you wanted? For me to be cast aside again, like before?”

Daniel sighed, his face remaining calm, but his eyes radiated an undeniable tension. “Diego, you haven’t changed at all.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You get emotionally fired up too quickly,” Daniel said, his tone cold yet firm. “You should have learned to control yourself. You want to be Alpha, right? But how can you lead the pack if you can’t even control your own emotions?”

I let out a cynical laugh. “Oh, so now you’re lecturing me about being a leader? You? The man who just returned from training, who doesn’t even know what I’ve been through all this time?”

“I don’t have to know everything to know that you’re being reckless!” Daniel shot back. “You come in and demand recognition, challenging Dad right to his face. Do you think that’s bravery? It’s foolishness!”

“You know nothing about bravery,” I replied in a low but intense voice. “You weren’t here when I fought to defend myself, my dignity. You don’t know what it’s like to grow up unacknowledged by your own father!”

“Do you know what it’s like to grow up as the child of a woman scorned by everyone? Do you think that just because you got an education and Dad started recognizing you, you can lecture me?” I said with sarcasm.

“Diego, do you think that because Marian supports you, you can act this way?”

I stepped closer, staring him down. “Marian’s support is a big deal, I know that. But don’t use that as an excuse to stop me!”

Daniel met my gaze with equal sharpness.

“You want to be Alpha? Then act like an Alpha! Not like a child throwing a tantrum because his toy was taken away.”

I fell silent, but my chest swelled with anger. I knew he had a point in some ways. But I couldn’t just accept my father’s attitude of always treating me like a burden. There were too many old wounds that hadn’t healed, and no matter how hard Daniel tried to understand, he had never been in my position.

“I don’t need your lectures,” I murmured finally. “And I don’t need you dictating how I live my life.”

“Diego!”

“I don’t need you to defend me. Or to try to be a good brother. It’s too late for that.” My words came out colder than I intended.

Then, without waiting for a response, I turned and walked away, letting my anger carry me off. I knew I might have ignited a fire amidst the embers.

I walked quickly, my breath quickening, as if all my emotions were piling up in my chest, ready to explode at any moment. My mind raced with thoughts of Dad, of Daniel, about my status that had never truly been recognized. I hated how everything always seemed easy for Daniel, even as the child of a mistress, he was still treated better than me.

My fists clenched.

I realized I might look childish in his eyes, but how could I stay calm when my life was always controlled by others?

I reached the outside balcony, the cold air greeting me. I looked at the darkening sky, the sun slowly setting behind the hills. In that silence, I remembered Nova. Her face… her voice… the way she looked at me with eyes full of pain yet still strong.

Did she feel this way too? Alienated? Unaccepted?

I leaned against the stone railing and bowed my head. Maybe… maybe I wasn’t alone in this pain. And for some reason, the thought of Nova made my heart feel a little lighter.

Could it be, just maybe… She was the only one who could truly understand me?